More than 20% of 65-year-old residents and older will be living in a single-person household in 2050 across Japan — with the exception of Yamagata Prefecture — as a result of rapid depopulation, according to a projection released by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) on Tuesday.
Five prefectures would see the percentage exceed 30%, including Tokyo (34.8%), Osaka (32.1%) and Kochi (30.6%).
According to the IPSS, the trend will affect both metropolitan and rural areas. In cities, fewer people are getting married, while in rural areas, an aging population and the eventual death of spouses in two-person households would result in such single-member units.
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